Republic Records Officially Named Top Record Label Of 2015

New York, NY (December 9, 2015) – Amidst an astounding 40+ Grammy® nominations received by its artists, Billboard crowns REPUBLIC RECORDS the “Top Label” and the “Hot 100 Label” for 2015. The label ended the year with the best overall performance across the Billboard200 and Billboard Hot 100 combined, while landing the most hits of any label on the respective charts. REPUBLIC RECORDS is proud to be the very first recipient of these titles as part of this new industry ranking.

REPUBLIC RECORDS, along with its label partners, hosts a celebrated roster, including Ariana Grande, Drake (Young Money/Cash Money), Florence +The Machine, Nicki Minaj (Young Money/Cash Money), Seth MacFarlane, Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground/John Varvatos Records/BMLG), and many more. In addition, 2015 saw major breakthroughs from The Weeknd (XO) and James Bay, as well as powerhouse soundtrack film releases from Fifty Shades of Grey, Pitch Perfect 2, and AMY.

In terms of radio success according to Mediabase, the label emerges with the “highest chart share recorded ever” at 22.3%, shattering the previous 2011 record of 19.4%. Moreover, it marks the second straight year the label garnered “highest chart share of the year.” The label clocked 9,345,525 spins—increasing 53.8% from last year’s tally and marking “the most spins by any label in a chart year ever.” As a result, nearly one-in-four-songs on the radio is from REPUBLIC or one of its partner labels.

Achievements include five back-to-back #1’s, six back-to-back #1’s across five formats, ten Top 40 #1’s, and seven Hot AC #1’s as well as the longest stay at #1 on Rhythmic with eleven weeks between Drake and The Weeknd.

As part of REPUBLIC’s strategic alliance with Big Machine Label Group, history was made as Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” [feat. Kendrick Lamar] received 19,566 spins and notched the “Top 40 All-Time Spin Record for a Single Week.” Moreover, 1989’s first five singles to radio peaked at #1, matching Katy Perry’s record for “Most #1 Singles from One Album.” Swift’s “Blank Space” went on to become “the second most played song of the year,” and she closed out 2015 as the #1 Artist at Top 40, Hot AC, and AC by cumulative spins

Taylor Swift “1989” Big Machine/Republic Records

Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar 

“Bad Blood” (Remix)

Big Machine/Republic Records

Taylor Swift 

“Blank Space”

From 1989

Big Machine/Republic Records

MEDIABASE 2015 RE-CAP:
Highest Chart Share of the Decade
#1 Total Spins in a year (9.3M)
#1 Top 40 Market Share (29.9)
#1 Most Records to Reach #1 at Top 40 (10)
#1 Most Weeks at #1/Top 40 (28)
#1 Hot AC Market Share (25.4)
#1 AC Market Share (21.9%)
#1 Rhythm Market Share (22.0%)
#1 Most Weeks at #1.Rhythm (23)
4 of Top 6 Artists at Top 40
4 of Top 10 Artists at Rhythmic
Over 1 Million Spins at Top 40, Hot AC, & Rhythmic

Other highlights for REPUBLIC RECORDS in 2015 include:

The Weeknd’s third-full length album, Beauty Behind The Madness [XO/Republic Records], clinched #1 on the Billboard 200 for three weeks in a row and spawned two ubiquitous multiplatinum smashes in the form of “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills.” Billboard named him “Top Hot 100 Artist,“ “Top R&B Albums Artist,” “Top Streaming Songs Artist” and Beauty Behind The Madness the “Top R&B Album.” Rolling Stone proclaimed “Can’t Feel My Face” its “#1 Single of the Year.” The Weeknd also scored seven 2016 Grammy® Award nominations, including “Album of the Year” and “Record of the Year.”

The Weeknd “Beauty Behind The Madness” XO/Republic Records

The Weeknd

“Can’t Feel My Face”

From Beauty Behind The Madness

XO/Republic Records

The Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album [Republic Records] debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, achieved gold status and is Billboard‘s “Top Soundtrack Album.” It yielded the quadruple-platinum hit “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)” by The Weeknd and the double-platinum “Love Me Like You Do” from Ellie Goulding.

Ellie Goulding.

“Love Me Like You Do”

From Fifty Shades Of Grey Soundtrack/Delirium

Republic Records/Cherrytree/Intwerscope Records

Florence + The Machine “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” Republic Records

Pitch Perfect 2 Soundtrack

One of the Republic Records’ biggest 2015 successes comes with the breakout of JAMES BAY. Yielding two RIAA Gold-certified singles, his debut Chaos and the Calm not only is the “#1 UK new artist album of the year,” but it also moved over 1,000,000 copies globally as he embarked on a sold out U.S. headline tour this fall. Among his three 2016 Grammy® Award nominations, BAY is up for “Best New Artist.”

James Bay “Chaos and the Calm” Virgin/Republic Records

Republic Records launched the musical career of Academy Award®-nominated superstar Hailee Steinfeld with the RIAA platinum-certified single “Love Myself” and her critically acclaimed debut Haiz EP. Making history, “Love Myself” yielded the “Highest Top 40 Entry for a female artist debut since 1998.”

Hailee Steinfeld

“Love Myself”

Republic Records

Under the longstanding partnership with Cash Money Records, Drake released the biggest album of the year and first platinum full-length for 2015—If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late [Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records]. It ends the year as Billboard‘s “Top Rap Album” and “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album.“ He followed the release with his second #1 of the year, the gold-certified What A Time To Be Alive 

Drake “If You’re Reading This Its Too Late” Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records

Drake And Future “A Good Time To Be Alive” Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records & A1/Freebandz/Epic Records

. He was also crowned “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist.” Drake rounded out the year with five 2016 Grammy® Award nominations, including “Best Rap Album.”

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj also made history, becoming the “first female artist in history to simultaneously land three songs as lead artist in the Top 10 at Urban” in addition to launching her biggest tour yet The PinkPrint Tour. She concludes 2015 as “Top Female R&B/Hip-Hop Artist” and received three 2016 Grammy® Award nominations including “Best Rap Album” for The Pinkprint.

Nicki Minaj “The Pink Print” Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records

FULL BILLBOARD YEAR-END LIST:
Top Label – Republic Records
Top Hot 100 Label – Republic Records
Top Country Duo/Group – Zac Brown Band (John Varvatos Records/Southern Ground/Big Machine Label Group/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Male Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Female Artist – Nicki Minaj (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Imprint – Cash Money Records
Top R&B/Hip/Hop Label – Republic Records
Top Adult Contemporary Label – Republic Records
Top Adult R&B Song – “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”
Top Adult Top 40 Artist – Taylor Swift (Big Machine /Republic)
Top Adult Top 40 Label – Republic Records
Top Alternative Albums Imprint – Republic Records
Top Country Airplay Songs Artist – Florida Georgia Line (Republic Nashville)
Top Dance/Mix Show Airplay Artist – Taylor Swift (Big Machine/Republic)
Top Dance/Mix Show Airplay Label – Republic Records
Top Hot 100 Artist – The Weeknd
Top Hot R&B Songs Artist – The Weeknd (XO/Republic)
Top Hot R&B Songs Title — The Weeknd, “The Hills” (XO/Republic)
Top Hot R&B Songs Imprint – XO
Top Hot R&B Songs Label – Republic Records
Top Hot R&B Songs Writer – Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye
Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist – The Weeknd (XO/Republic)
Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Label – Republic Records
Top Hot Rap Songs Label – Republic Records
Top Hot Rock Songs Label – Republic Records
Top  Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top Mainstream Top 40 Artist – Taylor Swift (Big Machine/Republic)
Top Mainstream Top 40 Label – Republic Records
Top On-Demand Songs Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B Albums Artist – The Weeknd (XO/Republic)
Top R&B Albums Title – Beauty Behind The Madness (XO/Republic)
Top R&B Albums Imprint – XO
Top R&B Digital Songs Title  – “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Songs Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Songs Title – “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Artist – The Weeknd
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs Artist – The Weeknd
Top Radio Songs Artist – Taylor Swift (Big Machine/Republic)
Top Radio Songs Label – Republic Records
Top Rap Albums Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top Rap Albums Title – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top Rap Albums Imprint (tie) – Cash Money Records & Young Money
Top Rap Albums Label – Republic Records
Top Rap Digital Songs Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top Rhythmic Artist – The Weeknd (XO/Republic)
Top Rhythmic Title – “Can’t Feel My Face”
Top Rhythmic Label – Republic Records
Top Soundtrack Albums Title – Fifty Shades of Grey (Universal Studios/Republic)
Top Streaming Songs Artist – The Weeknd (XO/Republic)
Top Streaming Songs Label – Republic Records
Top Album Sales Label – Republic Records
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist – Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Title – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Imprint – Young Money
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Label – Republic Records
Top Triple A Imprint – Republic Records